Those closet bones

My best friend, now in heaven, was a wonderful history teacher in Worthington, Ohio for many years. If you had been able to visit his classroom, there you would have seen a
teacher desk and to its right, a chair. In that chair was a full-sized replica of a human skeleton. Around its neck was a sign which read, "George talked." Such was his great way to handle discipline with a little humor.

Well I have a closet full of skeletons; the fact is that a very fine archaeological dig could
be done with that pile of bones. You know those terrible memories that the evil one dredges up to make us doubt, bring us guilt and play with our sense of spiritual security.

If you will allow, let me take you back to a most terrible day in the temple courts, a day
when Jesus, our Lord, had been handed over, was being 'tried' and on His way to death
by crucifixion. I will paraphrase rather than quote scripture, but you know the story and can look up the text.

Simon Peter has kept his word and followed the Lord into the temple grounds, not too close, but there, at least. He is warming his hands by a fire when he is approached by a woman who identifies him as being with Christ. You know the backdrop. Jesus had told the twelve that He would be taken, beaten and killed; yet Peter, as we have come to know Him, refuses to believe that they will all fall away and exclaims that he will not deny the Lord. Jesus
had assured him that at the rooster crow, he will have already denied the Lord three times.

Jesus is the last great prophet so things work out just as He has said. There, in the gospel
of Luke, their eyes meet at the moment of final denial. How terribly heart breaking for
Peter; yet, I believe he would have found compassion in Jesus' glance for Jesus loved
Peter despite his ways.

Later, in one of my favorite moments, as Peter and companions are fishing without
success, a Man on the shore suggests moving the nets and things change. Peter dives
into the sea to meet His Master and the wonderful three-fold questions are asked. Do 
you love me, Simon? It's a wonderful reaffirmation from out wonderful Lord.

So what is my point? Those skeletons in the closet, the ones ready for the dig, are
not even close to what Jesus forgave on that beach that day. In fact, in my mind
and heart, I have placed a sign around those bones that reads, Forgiven by my King.

God is truly great!

The greatest LOVE story ever told!

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Everyone voting on their favorite love story, book, movie, etc. would probably have several
that come to mind. One I always associated with the theme of love was "Love Story," the
Ryan O'Neal, Ali MacGraw flick from which came a very trite and ridiculous saying... 'Love
means never having to say you are sorry!' "Dr. Zhivago" also comes to mind, and I know
I am dating myself, here. Really my major attraction to that movie was Julie Christie, probably for all the wrong reasons! "Somewhere in Time" is right up there, as well.

I just wonder how many people, even Christians, would vote The Holy Bible as the
greatest love story ever written? Hands down!  No contest!  Probably ought to be unanimous!  

In addition to being the story of Jesus, the Bible is an intense look into the character
and essence of God. Having been created in the image of the Trinity, we, therefore
are indwelled with the ability to love. God is, as stated in John, love, and by His
creative license, we have the ability to love and are commanded by scripture to love
others, God and those who do not show love toward us.

But it's God's remarkable love toward His creation that has brought about our salvation
through the grace of God's offering His son for the forgiveness of our sins. We, truly, were
not worthy of this love gift as we were lost and had nothing to offer that would make us
merit such love. Yet, with a plan that was in place before creation, itself, God gave us
the gift of forgiveness and the chance for adoption into His presence and family for all
time. Amazing grace, indeed!

So now it is up to us to accept this loving gift. It does require us to accept in our hearts
the sacrifice of Jesus, making Him our Lord and King in all things. As frightening as it
may seem, there are those who reject this love. One cannot say that he is unaware
of the ramifications, here. Ignorance is not an excuse.

Get down on those knees and proclaim that you, indeed, need the saving gift of God's
love through Jesus Christ. It is, after all, the greatest love story ever told and the
greatest gift ever given!

Praise our Holy God!

Hard to forgive AND forget!

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matt 6: 14-15

One of the certainties of life, it seems to me, is that within our time span we will hurt others

and be hurt by others. So the issue of forgiveness comes to the fore; what or how can we

forgive others when they have done things that are very difficult to forgive? After all,
there are trespasses and there are TRESPASSES. 

 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.  Matt 6: 9

We are to pray that God will forgive our trespasses on the grounds that we have forgiven 
those who have wronged us. Scripture, then, clearly expects that we will understand what God has done in forgiving our sinfulness and with this understanding forgive others out
of appreciation for the forgiveness He has shown us through His grace.

Well, I am going to state that this is no easy task! The question becomes whether or not
human beings are capable of true forgiveness. 

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23: 34


Obviously one true human, in what has to be the most amazing example of forgiveness,
asks the Father to forgive those who have tortured, abused and killed Him upon a
cross. Need I say it, we are not Jesus.

So here's my blog take:  It is important to make every attempt to forgive what others
have done that has hurt us. Selfishly, it's better to forgive from the standpoint that it
clears our anger, to an extent, and we are not holding things inside. But I believe that
we always must strive to do what God has clearly mandated. He wants and expects
us to forgive even the most difficult things and has called upon us to do so.

But... I really think that there are cases where we may be able to forgive but
probably not be able to forget. I believe that we will still hold onto the memories of
what took place and the anguish they may have caused.  I'm not sure if that is
okay in the eyes of God. I guess one would have to pray that strength through the
Holy Spirit might help us accomplish both. 

Forgive as best you can because God has asked us to do so. Love others who
say and do things against you, as Jesus clearly mandated. Forgive.... still not easy
because we are humans!

Praise God!